When you formally develop a set of expectations for your teen, you begin to set your teen up for succeeding in meeting those expectations. That’s the first step in learning to handle responsibilities. Here are a few suggested expectations for teens by age level. Please do not feel that your teenager should be doing all of them. Pick and choose a few and add on as your teen is able to handle more responsibilities.
Preteens:
- Managing an allowance.
- Making plans with friends and giving you all of the necessary information.
- Have useful daily habits like making his/her bed and picking up his/her room.
- Cleaning his/her room – vacuuming, dusting, etc – weekly, with some parental help.
- Take phone messages and putting them where someone will see them.
Older Teens:
- Everything on the preteen list that you have not added before.
- Cleaning his/her room – vacuuming, dusting, etc – weekly.
- Doing a daily household chore, such as cleaning the dinner dishes, straightening the family room, swiping down the bathroom, etc.
- Helping with the weekly household chores.
- Make sure the gas gauge in the car does not go below a quarter of a tank.
- Marking special dates and plans on the family calendar or planner.
That last line just wants me to give my dog a hug and say "good job". When looking at this list I think the world would want more out of 3rd graders the "teens". But it's good for when the teen go to college they will be able to make their beds!!! I think that what we do this to the "teens" is setting them up to Fail!
The weekend of March 13th-14th , Boyce College sponsored a conference to challenge teens to do hard things, and not to put up with the expectations others put on us.
1 comment:
Nicely said.
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